2024 National Budget Places Excessive Burden On Citizens Who Are Already Suffering - CCC
The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party, led by Nelson Chamisa, has criticised the 2024 National Budget proposed by Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube. They argue that the budget puts too much pressure on citizens who are already facing difficulties.
In his recent speech, Professor Mthuli Ncube suggested increasing taxes and introducing new ones. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor, Dr John Mangudya, defended the budget saying that due to the country’s limited access to credit, the government had to rely on generating revenue internally.
In a statement seen by Pindula News, CCC deputy Spokesperson, Gift Siziba, said the budget announced on Thursday last week was anti-poor as it places an excessive burden on citizens who are already suffering. He added:
… the budget introduces several taxes that clearly demonstrate the regime in Harare’s anti-people stance and their lack of concern for the suffering of the masses. The Strategic Reserve Levy, toll fees, vehicle registration fees, passport fees, and the introduction of a sugar tax and wealth tax will increase the cost of living and doing business in the country.
We firmly believe that shelter is a basic human right and should not be subject to taxation. The budget’s decision to convert the COVID-19 and Cushioning allowance into pensionable emoluments will further reduce the real incomes of civil servants. The regime should have considered an upward review to compensate civil servants for the loss of income.
Siziba believes that the country’s taxation system is already too heavy, and the new budget will make it even worse. He said this would make public services, transportation, fuel, and business operations more expensive. As a result, people would have less money to spend and the country’s competitiveness will suffer. Siziba added that high taxes also lead to more informal jobs and less confidence in the economy. He emphasised that the wealth tax on properties will make it difficult for first-time homebuyers to afford homes.
Siziba’s concerns about the budget align with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030 for Zimbabwe’s development. Vision 2030 is a development plan aimed at transforming Zimbabwe into an upper-middle-income economy by the year 2030. It focuses on key pillars such as economic growth, job creation, and poverty reduction. The budget’s excessive taxation and lack of measures for employment creation and support for the informal sector contradict the vision’s goals.
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